Petrus Johann du Toit
Encyclopedia
Petrus Johann du Toit
(16 March 1888 Somerset West – 13 November 1967 Pretoria
) was a noted South African veterinary scientist and the successor of Arnold Theiler
as Director of Veterinary Services at Onderstepoort
between 1927 and 1948. He was the son of Daniel Francois du Toit (1846–1923), one of the founders of the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners
, and owner of the first Afrikaans
newspaper, Die Patriot. His mother was Margaretha Magdalene van Nierop.
Having completed his schooling, du Toit went to Victoria College
in Stellenbosch, and then to Zurich
where he qualified as a Doctor of zoology in 1912 and as Doctor of veterinary science in Berlin
in 1916. He spent a further three years studying the tropical diseases affecting domestic animals, publishing Tropenkrankheiten der Haustiere in 1921 together with Paul Knuth.
Early in his career du Toit was recognised for his exceptional scientific talent. Whereas Theiler had dominated research projects at Onderstepoort, du Toit had the gift of being able to delegate research to inspired workers. His friendly nature and his brilliance as a speaker led to his inclusion on many boards and committees and did much to improve the role of science in South African and international affairs.
From 1908 until the 1950s, after which many enzootic
and epizootic
diseases had been exterminated or controlled, Onderstepoort revealed the etiology and provenance of diseases such as lamsiekte
, geeldikkop (a photodynamic disease of southern African sheep, caused by the ingestion of certain plants and a consequent sensitization to light, causing intense jaundice and facial edema) and African horsesickness, and produced vaccines, some of which were globally adopted. The philosophy of the institute became increasingly holistic. The state of the veld and pastures was recognised as being pivotal in the prevention and control of disease and the maintenance of animal health.
In 1944 du Toit turned down a request from the US Department of Health for samples of the heartwater rickettsia
. He made this decision based on the fact that ‘heartwater is an exclusively African disease and I am of opinion that the task of solving the many problems connected with this disease should in the first place devolve on African scientists’.
Under Theiler and du Toit Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute made enormous contributions to veterinary science. Notable were the etiology of the cattle disease lamsiekte and the development of a successful vaccine against African horsesickness. By the end of the 1940s two major curses of Africa had virtually been eliminated — East Coast fever
, a tick-borne disease, and nagana
, spread by the tsetse fly
. Onderstepoort led the way in research into phytotoxin
s. During WWII South Africa supplied horsesickness vaccines to the British forces in Egypt and the Middle East, and played a large part in the rinderpest
inoculation campaign in Tanganyika
, managing to stop its southward spread.
and Dean of the Veterinary Faculty at the University of Pretoria
. In 1929 he was Chairman of a Pan-African Veterinary Conference and from 1950 to 1960 he was President of the Scientific Council for Africa. He was awarded a BA degree (Zool) from the University of Stellenbosch (US) in 1907. He enjoyed honorary memberships of scientific societies in France, the United Kingdom and Belgium, and received six honorary doctorates. He collaborated with Sir Arnold Theiler on the etiology
of bovine botulism
. He contributed to the development of polyvalent horsesickness
and bluetongue vaccines, and determined Culicoides
spp as vectors of these diseases. He helped develop vaccines against anthrax
and botulism and the immunisation procedure against heartwater. In all he authored or co-authored 132 publications.
Petrus Johann du Toit
Petrus Johann du Toit was a noted South African veterinary scientist and the successor of Arnold Theiler as Director of Veterinary Services at Onderstepoort between 1927 and 1948...
(16 March 1888 Somerset West – 13 November 1967 Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
) was a noted South African veterinary scientist and the successor of Arnold Theiler
Arnold Theiler
Sir Arnold Theiler Pour le Mérite] is considered to be the father of veterinary science in South Africa. He was born in Frick, Canton Aargau, Switzerland. He received his higher education, and later qualified as a veterinarian, in Zurich...
as Director of Veterinary Services at Onderstepoort
Onderstepoort
Onderstepoort is situated in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Its geographical coordinates are .Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and the faculty of veterinary science of the University of Pretoria, founded by Sir Arnold Theiler, is also situated here...
between 1927 and 1948. He was the son of Daniel Francois du Toit (1846–1923), one of the founders of the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners
Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners
The Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners was formed on 14 August 1875 in the town of Paarl by a group of Afrikaans speakers from the current Western Cape region...
, and owner of the first Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
newspaper, Die Patriot. His mother was Margaretha Magdalene van Nierop.
Having completed his schooling, du Toit went to Victoria College
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
in Stellenbosch, and then to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
where he qualified as a Doctor of zoology in 1912 and as Doctor of veterinary science in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1916. He spent a further three years studying the tropical diseases affecting domestic animals, publishing Tropenkrankheiten der Haustiere in 1921 together with Paul Knuth.
Early in his career du Toit was recognised for his exceptional scientific talent. Whereas Theiler had dominated research projects at Onderstepoort, du Toit had the gift of being able to delegate research to inspired workers. His friendly nature and his brilliance as a speaker led to his inclusion on many boards and committees and did much to improve the role of science in South African and international affairs.
From 1908 until the 1950s, after which many enzootic
Enzootic
Enzootic is the non-human equivalent of endemic and means, in a broad sense, "belonging to" or "native to", "characteristic of", or "prevalent in" a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; native to an area or scope....
and epizootic
Epizootic
In epizoology, an epizootic is a disease that appears as new cases in a given animal population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is "expected" based on recent experience . Epidemic is the analogous term applied to human populations...
diseases had been exterminated or controlled, Onderstepoort revealed the etiology and provenance of diseases such as lamsiekte
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
, geeldikkop (a photodynamic disease of southern African sheep, caused by the ingestion of certain plants and a consequent sensitization to light, causing intense jaundice and facial edema) and African horsesickness, and produced vaccines, some of which were globally adopted. The philosophy of the institute became increasingly holistic. The state of the veld and pastures was recognised as being pivotal in the prevention and control of disease and the maintenance of animal health.
In 1944 du Toit turned down a request from the US Department of Health for samples of the heartwater rickettsia
Rickettsia
Rickettsia is a genus of non-motile, Gram-negative, non-sporeforming, highly pleomorphic bacteria that can present as cocci , rods or thread-like . Being obligate intracellular parasites, the Rickettsia survival depends on entry, growth, and replication within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic host cells...
. He made this decision based on the fact that ‘heartwater is an exclusively African disease and I am of opinion that the task of solving the many problems connected with this disease should in the first place devolve on African scientists’.
Under Theiler and du Toit Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute made enormous contributions to veterinary science. Notable were the etiology of the cattle disease lamsiekte and the development of a successful vaccine against African horsesickness. By the end of the 1940s two major curses of Africa had virtually been eliminated — East Coast fever
East Coast fever
-Introduction:East Coast fever is a disease of cattle, sheep and goats caused by the protozoan parasite Theileria parva. The term excludes diseases caused by other Theileria, such as tropical theileriosis , caused by T. annulata, and human theileriosis, caused by T...
, a tick-borne disease, and nagana
Nagana
Nagana, also known as nagana pest or animal African trypanosomiasis, is a disease of vertebrate animals. The disease is caused by trypanosomes of several species in the genus Trypanosoma. The trypanosomes infect the blood of the vertebrate host, causing fever, weakness, and lethargy, which lead to...
, spread by the tsetse fly
Tsetse fly
Tsetse , sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and the Kalahari deserts. They live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals and are the primary biological vectors of trypanosomes, which...
. Onderstepoort led the way in research into phytotoxin
Phytotoxin
Phytotoxin refers to a substance produced by a plant that is toxic or a substance that is toxic to the plant Many substances produced by plants are secondary metabolites and are the by-products of primary physiological processes...
s. During WWII South Africa supplied horsesickness vaccines to the British forces in Egypt and the Middle East, and played a large part in the rinderpest
Rinderpest
Rinderpest was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and some other species of even-toed ungulates, including buffaloes, large antelopes and deer, giraffes, wildebeests and warthogs. After a global eradication campaign, the last confirmed case of rinderpest was diagnosed in 2001...
inoculation campaign in Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, managing to stop its southward spread.
Honours and publications
Du Toit was President of the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA) from 1924 to 1930, President of the South African Biological Society in 1927 and President of the Southern African Association for the Advancement of Science in 1932. He was President of the CSIRCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the city of Pretoria...
and Dean of the Veterinary Faculty at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
. In 1929 he was Chairman of a Pan-African Veterinary Conference and from 1950 to 1960 he was President of the Scientific Council for Africa. He was awarded a BA degree (Zool) from the University of Stellenbosch (US) in 1907. He enjoyed honorary memberships of scientific societies in France, the United Kingdom and Belgium, and received six honorary doctorates. He collaborated with Sir Arnold Theiler on the etiology
Etiology
Etiology is the study of causation, or origination. The word is derived from the Greek , aitiologia, "giving a reason for" ....
of bovine botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
. He contributed to the development of polyvalent horsesickness
African Horse sickness
African horse sickness is a highly infectious, and deadly disease. It commonly affects horses, mules, and donkeys. It is caused by a virus of the genus Orbivirus belonging to the family Reoviridae. This disease can be caused by any of the nine serotypes of this virus...
and bluetongue vaccines, and determined Culicoides
Culicoides
Culicoides is a genus of biting midges in the subfamily Ceratopogonidae. Around 500 species of Ceratopogonidae are at present placed in the genus and this is split into many subgenera. Several species are known to be vectors of various diseases and parasites which can affect animals.-Notable...
spp as vectors of these diseases. He helped develop vaccines against anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
and botulism and the immunisation procedure against heartwater. In all he authored or co-authored 132 publications.